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Sunset illuminates the waters of the Grand Canal, the world’s longest manmade waterway. “You must know that the vessels on this river, in going upstream, have to be towed,<br> for the current is so strong that they could not make head [way] in any other manner. Now the tow line, which is some 300 paces in length, is made of nothing but cane.” The Travels of Marco Polo, Vol 2, Bk 2, Ch 71 Suzhou, Jiangsu, China